To reviewers of Chapter 12 (All 13 of your guys, wow. And apologies for such a long review reply section before the actual chapter):
DarkBombayAngel: I agree that this chapter was really cute. It probably made a lot of readers feel all warm and fuzzy inside, haha.
Becauseimthefavorite: I really like Sora and Roxas dancing together, XD. Thanks for the compliments and hope this next chapter won't disappoint.
Niwa-k: Yup, yup. Roxy-woxy has emotions, lol!
Rokurei: About time, right? Hehe.
Sky91: Always nice for a change of pace, at least in my honest opinion.. As usual, by no means are the characters fully matured/evolved; they'll change more with the upcoming chapters, though not as drastic as Roxas did in these past two chapters of course. Right now though, some changes will be good, some bad, but that's what make a character interesting, right? XP
iOchibi: I'll have to admit, it hadn't been my intention to make people giggle unless I was actually writing a humor fic/ficlet. Though I supposed that having a fuzzy feeling inside would make people feel the urge to laugh, neh? I know I made the change in Roxas's personality rather abrupt, but you'll see later why I made it this way. Besides, we don't really know if Roxas is actually behaving like he's Roxas with a heart or if he's still acting like Sora, ya?
EnigmaEric: While it would be nice to be able to see more involvement from Riku and Kairi since they're also Keyblade wielders, my original intention has been to write this with focus on Sora and Roxas. That being said, there will be some involvement from Riku and Kairi in the next couple of chapters up to the end. I don't know how much it will be at the current moment, but I am entertaining the idea to have all of the Keyblade wielders to have a major role in the final battle… whatever that means, lol.
Gamemaster 77: Thanks for the compliments. Currently, I think we are over the half-way point since I've got more or less 22 chapters planned for the entire fic. That number might be reduced depending on whether I feel like adding more "filler-ish" material or if I could actually carry the story with enough interesting stuff for 22 chapters, XP.
LupinandHarry: Unfortunately, the updates for Intrigues are still going to be sporadic at best, though you might be seeing the next chapter for Intrigues sooner than later, hehe.
B. David-Aw: Lmao. You're right, it would be too OOC for Roxas to be wooing Sora under the moonlight playing a mandolin or lute-type instrument riding a gondola through a canalled city. Roxas will show his own version of romance sooner or later… I think? Lol. All in all, thanks a lot for all the compliments, I appreciate it. I'm actually really proud of how this story's coming along. I aim not to disappoint, hehe.
Inteme-Diamond: Thanks! I heart Roxas too.
Moonlit Vulpix: Well, there's got to be some bumps in a relationship, right? XP. But I'll try not to twist it too much, haha.
Azuresapphire15: Aww, come on. Under that innocent exterior, you know there's a mischievous imp inside of Marlene, even in Advent Children (wink). Glad to know you liked it, hehe.
Chapter 13 – On the Road
To say that Sora had been mildly surprised by the secret that Tifa and Cloud trusted to him was a gross understatement. Though, he supposed that it made sense that they hadn't frowned upon Roxas when the Nobody had intervened on Sora's behalf multiple times at sea.
It's a shame that Sora had never met the Nobodies that were Cloud's older brother and Tifa's older sister.
Nevertheless, the pleasant feeling of shock was quickly set aside as they journeyed across the sea. For the majority of the voyage from Revenant Wings to Nibelheim, an uneasy sense of foreboding plagued Sora, leaving him restless and unsociable. Whenever Roxas asked the prince if something was wrong, Sora would rebuff his concerns, only to apologize shortly afterwards upon realizing his mistake. Though the Nobody would try to press the issue, his master always gave him a weak smile and told him not to worry.
Little did those words comfort Roxas. The thoughts of concern marked his every move on the ship during that week but still, there was little that Roxas could do to assuage the concern in his mind and the unease in Sora's heart. All he could do was serve Sora and pray that this malady of the heart would soon go away.
He got his answer on the seventh day.
After the ship berthed at Costa del Sol, Sora had immediately sought to leave the tropical city and head toward Nibelheim, which would've been another week of journey over land, passing by a stretch of desert in which the famed Golden Saucer sat above the hot yellow sands, through the red rocky region of Cosmo Canyon, and finally across a great green plain that lead to the Nibelheim castle seated at the foot of the mountains known as the Nibel Range.
Of course, Queen Tifa and General Cloud were blissfully unaware of the danger that lurked beyond the Sea of Dusk that spanned between the continent of Ivalice and the End of the World. They had opted to stay for the night at Costa del Sol as the ship had landed early afternoon, too late to start the land portion of the journey back to Nibelheim. Sora was certainly irritated by their decision.
They had stayed at a villa that the late king of Nibelheim had given to his daughter for her eighteenth birthday; it was there where Sora paced about the living room to and fro to release some of the tension within his limbs.
Cloud had left to inquire of any letters for them from Nibelheim while Sora had sent Roxas out on an errand around town. It was also a ploy on Sora's part so the Nobody would not have to worry about him as much as he had in the past week. Unfortunately, that didn't mean that Sora's actions wouldn't worry someone else.
"Sora," called Tifa as she watched the brunet paced about the room for the umpteenth time. Sora stopped briefly to regard the queen of Nibelheim upon hearing her voice. "You're wearing a hole in the carpet," she continued with a laugh. The prince of Destiny Islands stopped in his tracks and looked down at his feet, a blush evident upon his face.
"Sorry," he murmured.
Tifa chuckled lightly. "Come, sit with me." Sora did as he was told and followed Tifa out onto the patio behind the house. A small round table with four seats was placed in the middle of the cemented area and a tea had been set upon the metal wrought table. Upon sitting down, a servant had poured hot tea into their cups and the queen immediately set about adjusting the taste for her cup. Sora, still restless, had begun stirring the tea without adding any sugar or milk like he usually did.
"Now, tell me what's been troubling you," the black-haired queen said. "Your Nobody has been quite worried about you."
"Yes," answered Sora, his head bowed over the cup as if the content of the white porcelain cup was of great interest to him. "I know. That's why I had sent him on an errand. So he wouldn't have to worry about me constantly."
"His errand will end soon, though. You should tell him why you've been rather restless this past week. Shall I venture a guess as to why?"
Sora didn't reply, only continued to stir the tea, causing to cool down faster than he'd like it to.
"You're worried about Nibelheim?" asked Tifa. Sora looked up with an incredulous look, to which Tifa laughed lightly again.
"I'd think you'd be the one to worry about your own country," jested Sora, a smirk on his face.
"Yes, but I'm not worried. She in very good hands after all. Lady Elmyra has been my father's advisor for the past eighteen years. I seriously doubt that Nibelheim would go to ruins at her hands.
At this, Sora lightly laughed. "At least it isn't Selphie who's taking care of your country."
Tifa smiled, "True. Besides, Macalania is only half a day's ride away through the pass in the Nibel Range. If anything happened, aid would arrive quite quickly."
Sora nodded in silence.
"So if Nibelheim isn't your concern. Would it be Destiny Islands? Your own parents?"
"I'm sure they're fine," replied Sora softly.
"Then Kairi? Riku?" continued the black-haired queen of Nibelheim with a smile on her face.
"Now you're just grasping at straws," commented Sora.
The smile on the queen's heart-shaped face was kind yet teasing at the same time. "You should know by now that I'm not one to easily give up when my friend's concerned about something. You might as well tell me what's been bothering you this past week."
Sora remained unspeaking for a few moments and the silence that fell upon the pair was broken only by the clinking of cup against plate as Tifa took a sip from her cup and replaced it on the saucer.
"You know of the Bastion Imperialists, right?" asked Sora at long last, his voice strangely small and uncertain.
The black-haired woman raised an eyebrow at the question/statement.
"Of course. Who doesn't?" she replied. "Bent on world domination, they're lead by the witch Maleficent, who in turn commands a host of Heartless."
Sora nodded solemnly. "I've on a journey around the world to retrieve the weapons that I need to seal the Heartless away from this world."
"The Keyblades, right?" asked Tifa immediately, the tone of voice was casual yet full of meaning for the prince of Destiny Islands. Sora's eyes widened with surprise before nodding tentatively.
"Yes. That's right. How did you know?" he asked with worry.
"There is a reason why Nibelheim's the capital of the Chaser society ages ago," smiled Tifa. "My family has been safeguarding the Chaser lore for generations."
"So you know that Chasers are immortal?" queried Sora.
"Mm hmm," nodded Tifa. "We know that they're immortal and reside on Levan. However, they left no record of how to gain access to the continent or the sanctuaries that are supposed to house the Keyblades."
"Do you know of Xehanort?" Sora's lips turned down into a deep frown.
The queen of Nibelheim hummed softly in thought. "The lore that's housed in the Nibelheim castle referred him as the greater common enemy. While the records hadn't specifically stated it, we've suspected that it is he who controls the Heartless."
"Yes. He does command the Heartless; Maleficent's control over the Heartless was granted to her by Xehanort. Did you know that he was a Chaser as well?"
Tifa's wine-colored eyes grew wide upon hearing the information. "N-no. There were no records of him ever being a Chaser. Does that mean he's immortal as well?"
Sora nodded grimly. "He's the one that we have to defeat to rid this world of the Heartless. Maleficent can be easily dealt with once the Heartless are gone."
"I see," said Tifa with a nod of understanding. "Just out of curiosity, how many Keyblades have you retrieved?"
"Two so far," frowned the prince of Destiny Islands. "Midgar and Revenant Wings."
"And where else do you need to go?"
"Nibelheim for one," he smirked weakly at that. "Macalania, Trabia, Northern Crater, Land of Dragons, and Traverse Town are the remaining countries I must visit to retrieve the Keyblades housed in those places." He growled in anger at the statement. "It's not so much that I don't have the time to spend at each place, it's just that the journeys from one place to another takes forever!"
Tifa nodded sympathetically. "Even if you manage to cut your stay at each place to a day, it would still be another two months before you complete your journey."
Sora's scowl deepened and he huffed with annoyance, propping his chin against an open palm with a "slap".
"Are Riku and Kairi not helping?" Sora jerked out of his pose with surprise; he hadn't thought that Kairi and Riku were just as involved as he was, seeing how they were also descendants of the Three. His eyes widened with realization that there was a way to cut down on the preparatory time before they would confront Xehanort.
"They're not, are they," frowned Tifa when the teen didn't respond to her inquiry.
"They don't know about the Keyblades and the Chasers," said Sora softly.
"Then you should tell them. You should get them involved!" said Tifa adamantly. "It's as much as their responsibility as it is yours. How do you think they'll feel when the final battle comes and they find that you've done everything on your own?" Her voice softened, "They would feel betrayed, heartbroken, and most of all, guilty for something that was out of their control. Even if the battle is won, they would look back on it with the knowledge that if they had gotten the Keyblades like you're doing now, maybe they might've saved more people."
Sora swallowed a lump of guilt. He knew that Tifa had meant well and wasn't trying to make him feel guilty, but he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"I didn't know you still felt that way," came a soft voice, startling the two royalties. They turned to see Cloud looking past Sora at his childhood friend with a pair of soft eyes. Tifa looks away with a tint of pink on her cheeks, her lips pursed together tightly as she tried to keep her emotions in check.
"It's nothing," she muttered, her voice thick with emotions despite her efforts. "What's done is done."
Her attempt to dismiss the topic that was sure to follow failed miserably as Cloud frowned. "It's not nothing," he argued vehemently. He wouldn't let them run away from the tragedy any longer.
Sora looked from Tifa then to Cloud and back to Tifa, concern written across his face. While he was curious about the reason behind the black-haired queen's behavior, he knew better than to pry.
"Yes," said Cloud as he took long strides to stand by Tifa's side. "What's done is done. But we, I mean I, can't deny the aftermath of my decision to carry out your father's last martial decision against Archadia, opting for battle instead of negotiations. As your father's heir, you had every right to know of the issues facing Nibelheim, especially with your father bedridden and mentally incapacitated for the majority of the time then. I neglected that right and acted on my own accords. Now, Biggs is dead because of my decision." The general of Nibelheim looked away with guilt.
Tifa sighed, though it held neither annoyance nor sadness, but simply acknowledgement and understanding of everything.
"It was my own fault as much as it was yours," she said finally. "I should have been more proactive in taking up my father's throne rather than trying to remain ignorant of my father's incapacity to make sound decisions."
"A pair of fools we are," commented Cloud with a sad smirk, earning him a soft chuckle from Tifa.
"Yes, indeed."
Sora looked from the queen to her general and smiled softly to himself at the pair. His heart fluttered warmly at the scene; while the relationship between the two adults was marred by insecurities, Sora knew that Tifa and Cloud cared about each other very much, even though they might not admit it. He was loath to cut into the warm atmosphere that had surrounded the pair, loath to interrupt this obviously rare moment of show of affections—however small—between the two. Even though everyone knew that Tifa and Cloud were an item, there was a degree of hesitation on both sides, afraid of taking things further, of commitment.
"I understand now, Tifa," grinned Sora, hiding the grimace of shredding any privacy the pair that surrounded them with. "Thanks." The slight jump in their bodies made his grin falter, but he willed himself to keep smiling.
"No problem, Sora," Tifa replied, returning the grin with a smile of her own.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to go send some mail before we leave tomorrow morning." He didn't dare to add the teasing part about "leaving the two alone to their own devices," both adults were shy enough and didn't need him to goad them along. It would be best for them to sort out their relationship on their own.
Just as he and Roxas needed to sort out their own strange relationship, complicated by their statuses and the history behind both teens.
A warm breeze washed over him like a mother's soothing caress as he stepped out of the cool interior of the villa. The sudden longing for his home in Destiny Islands hit him in full force. How long has it been since he left Destiny Islands? His mental calculations told him six months. Has it actually been that long? Surely it cannot be.
However, if the slightly cool breeze that followed the heated wind was any indication, he knew that he had left his home for the longest time in his life. Autumn was just around the corner and behind it followed the bitter winter that left his homeland dreary and constantly rainy.
The knowledge of his weighty responsibility dampened his spirits. A small part of him, the young child within, desired to curl up in his bed back in Destiny Islands, held in his mother's comforting embrace. He hadn't asked to be the world's savior; it hadn't been his choice to be his parents' son, the blood of Ventus the youngest flowing through him like a curse for his naïve self, once carefree without any true worries. All of a sudden, he wished that his father hadn't told him to go on this journey.
Yet, he couldn't fault his father for how the journey ended up. There had been no way for the king to learn of Sora's current situation before it happened. Furthermore, it had been Sora who took up the mantle to do battle against the Heartless by voluntarily searching for the Keyblades. His father had sent him on this journey in preparation for his ascent to the throne once his father would be too old to rule. He couldn't shirk his responsibilities. If he had, then what good would he be as king of Destiny Islands? Though the task before him was daunting, Sora knew that he couldn't simply leave it and risk the world going to ruin for his own selfish reasons. He was the prince of Destiny Islands, fated for great things. His duties to the world at that exact moment was merely another stepping stone, another test for his coming of age and he'll be damned if he allowed himself to be beaten that easily.
"Your Highness?" a soft voice cut through his reverie, startling the prince who hadn't moved an inch since he left the villa, standing on the veranda. His eyes fell upon the frowning face of his pale Nobody, who regarded him with concern. Sora quickly shook off the melancholy that lied with his thoughts and smiled at the blond-haired teen.
"I'm on my way to the post. Care to join me?" he asked lightly.
Roxas watched the brown-haired prince with mild scrutiny, wondering the reasoning behind the levity and simultaneous sadness in his tone of voice. Finally, he nodded in acceptance of Sora's invitation.
"I'm sorry to have worried you," the prince said softly as they made their way into the busy marketplace of the port.
"No need for apologies, your Highness," replied Roxas softly, a hint of a smile on his face once he knew that no one would see it.
Sora shook his head lightly. "Perhaps not, but I do owe you an explanation."
Roxas pursed his lips tightly together. While the words of "no, you don't" rested upon his lips, he was curious as to what plagued his master for the past week. This curiosity that Sora had nurtured kept him from saying the words that would most likely earn him a rebuke from the brown-haired prince.
"I felt like we're running out of time," said Sora with a sigh. Roxas raised an eyebrow slightly at that.
"Running out of time? Until what?" he inquired.
"Until Xehanort makes a move. I'm afraid that we wouldn't be able to retrieve all the Keyblades before then," confessed the prince.
"I see. It's a valid concern," commented the Nobody, hoping to cheer his master up with his levity. Sora snorted with minute amusement.
"Tifa helped me to resolve my concerns. With Kairi and Riku's help, we should be able to retrieve the Keyblades in the next month." He stopped in his tracks to gaze upon the ocean to the east. He thought he could just be able to see the continent of Galbadia in the distant horizon—the continent where Revenant Wings and Radiant Garden were situated. A comforting hand upon his shoulder brought him out of his reverie and he turned to give Roxas a weak smirk.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"Don't dwell upon the state of the world and what you've been destined to do," said Roxas, a genuine smile upon his face. He didn't care whether anyone saw him right then; all he knew was that if Sora doubted himself, he had to believe in his prince. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. We might not prevent everything that would happen in the future, but I have no doubt in my mind that we will be able to defeat Xehanort and protect this world."
Sora smiled warmly at Roxas's words. He wrapped an arm around the lithe teen's shoulders in a gesture of friendship. "Thanks, Roxas."
"You're welcome, Sora."
When Sora had finished penning his messages and sent them off to Kairi and Riku, the sun was practically down. The sea breeze that blew in was chilly but Costa del Sol remained hot with its nightlife. It was to be expected of course, since Costa del Sol had great beaches with waves that rivaled those at Destiny Islands.
As they neared the lit villa located on top of the cliff overlooking Costa del Sol, strains of soft music flowed through the air, following the breezes about, in and out to the ocean beyond.
Upon entering the large foyer of the villa, Sora raised an eyebrow at the sight; servants milled about carrying covered dishes, silverware, settings, and various things that meant that there was a party at the villa that very evening.
"Perhaps it'd be best to hurry back to your room, Sora," whispered Roxas. Sora disregarded his Nobody's advice and neared the doorway leading to the large dance hall that doubled as a banquet hall. There he espied several attendees all wearing masks. A long rectangular table was place up against one corner of the room on top of which a spread of dishes sat. A small string quartet sat in the opposite corner playing the soft tunes that they heard earlier as the pair of teens made their way back to the villa.
"I hadn't known there was a party tonight," the prince murmured.
"That's because there wasn't one planned," came a woman's voice. The two teens turned to see Tifa standing regally behind them. She donned a blue sleeveless gown that shimmered under the crystal light. A pair of white gloves surrounded her forearms up to the elbows. An elegant teardrop ruby pendant hanging from a thin silver chain sat between her clavicles. Her long flowing hair was tied up into a regal bun, adorned with the hair ornaments that dictated her station in Nibelheim. All in all, Sora was stunned by the beauty of the queen of Nibelheim. Only decorum prevented his jaw from dropping open in awe.
Roxas raised a curious eyebrow at Sora's behavior, a soft blush appearing upon the prince's face.
"You look stunning, your Majesty," complimented Roxas with a bow. Tifa giggled at the Nobody's statement.
"You flatter me, Roxas," she said with a smile. "Your master, however, seems to be rather tongue-tied." Sora's face reddened even more with the tease.
Though he had a witty response which would've made Sora look like a ripe tomato for sure, Roxas's reservations stayed the words. He didn't want to risk having a servant hear him speaking casually with a member of royalty. Not only was it disrespectful to the queen of Nibelheim, it would destroy his status as a Nobody. Rumors of Nobodies acting normal would end up hurting him and the other Nobodies around the world.
"What did you mean, there wasn't one planned?" asked Sora, shedding the shock that had settled over him.
"This party was impromptu, called suddenly by Sir Johnny. Do you know him?"
Sora shook his head.
"He was my friend when we were at Traverse Academy. His father was the late Sir James Norrington of Costa del Sol."
"Ah," replied Sora. "Let me guess, when he heard that you were in town, he immediately called for a celebration, huh?"
Tifa nodded. "He's always an impulsive person. I think that's why Cloud hates him."
"Or maybe Cloud thinks that Johnny's trying to take you away from him," suggested the prince of Destiny Islands with a mischievous smile on his face.
The light makeup that Tifa wore did nothing to mask the blush that adorned her face upon hearing the statement. She scoffed in an attempt to dispel the stubborn blush and said, "As if he needs to worry about that. He's better than Johnny in every other way."
Sora simply laughed politely at her words. "Anyways," she said after clearing her throat as another attempt to dispel her blush, "Your masks are in your room. Ask Cloud to come down soon for me, please?"
"Of course, your Majesty," said Roxas when Sora's soft laughter didn't cease. The Nobody then grabbed a hold of his master's arm and pulled him towards the stairs upward to the rooms.
The following morning, Sora was astonished to hear Roxas waking him up at the breaking of dawn. The previous evening's party had lasted well into the night despite the early departure Cloud had planned. He groaned as his Nobody milled about the room gathering their things up. He briefly wondered how Tifa and Cloud could wake up at such an ungodly hour after having spent all night dancing.
"Sora, wake up," muttered Roxas as he shook the sleepy teen in the bed. The entire luggage had been packed with a fresh set of clothes laid out on the vanity desk for Sora. The prince heaved a sigh of annoyance and opened his eyes tiredly. As he sat up, he yawned, stretching his limbs to loosen the kinks in his joints; the mattress had been too soft for his own likings after all.
"What time is it?" he asked; his voice slurred and raspy. He groaned as Roxas drew open the curtains to reveal the distant rising sun.
"Just a little bit before five," replied his Nobody. "Last I heard, we have a little more than an hour before departure."
Sora tousled his messy hair with a deep exhale. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned again.
"Did you wish to bathe and eat something before we leave?" Roxas inquired.
"Just a bath would be nice," Sora replied, groaning as he got out of bed, stretching out once again.
"As you wish," replied Roxas with a hint of a smile, bowing down. Sora groaned at his actions but couldn't comment before the Nobody slipped into the bathroom to tend to Sora's bath.
The prince of Destiny Islands yawned again as he ran his hands through his greasy hair, grimacing at the oiliness of the strands on his head. He stepped over to the doorway that led into the bathroom and leaned against the wooden frame, watching Roxas preparing his bath.
"You know. I don't like it when you're acting like a servant," he commented with a sniff, wrinkling his nose in the process.
"Did you want to draw your own bath?" replied Roxas sharply, a small smile on his face. His eyes sparkled with meaning as if he was daring the prince to perform his duties.
A blush overcame Sora's face. "You're better at it than I am," he muttered, not willing to admit that he hadn't touched the bathing fixtures to draw his own bath ever since he accidentally scalded himself nearly ten years ago.
Sora wasn't sure if the slightly pained smile that Roxas gave him after that brief statement suggested that Roxas knew of that rather embarrassing episode—after all, he knew everything about Sora—or if the Nobody was hurt by his master's anger that indirectly affect the blonde. But as quickly as the change had come, when Sora blinked again, the smile held no pain, only understanding.
"Well, glad to know that you think I'm better than you at something," the Nobody said. He moved his hand through the water again before turning off the tap for both hot and cold water. He wiped his hands on a nearby towel and gestured for Sora to undress and get in. Sora quickly did so and entered the heated water with a sigh of relief. He relaxed in the warm water and leaned back as Roxas began methodically washing his hair. The Nobody poured a wooden basin of water onto the prince's head, careful not to disturb the peaceful expression on the brunet's face, and lathered up the hair with soap, massaging the prince's scalp much like he had done the third day after he arrived at Destiny Islands.
"You should join me," Sora said as Roxas scratched the scalp gently before applying pressure to the scalp once again.
Though Sora couldn't see it, his Nobody blushed at the suggestion. "I already washed earlier," he said, focusing his eyes and attention on separating the strands that were tangling up.
"The bath's much too large for me," the prince said. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." Roxas's face reddened even more.
"It's improper," said Roxas, he hoped that his master wouldn't turn around right then and saw his heated face. Of course, he just had to think that when Sora suddenly turned, suds flying through the air from the soapy hair with the movement.
"You're shy," grinned Sora when he saw his Nobody blushing like Tifa had last night. Roxas couldn't respond to that, but simply looked away, willing his blush to go away.
"If you don't join me, I'll just have to forcibly pull you in," the prince added with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You wouldn't dare," gaped Roxas.
"Try me," smiled Sora toothily. He grabbed Roxas's thin wrists and began pulling him towards the water. Roxas squeaked indignantly and threw his weight backward, freeing himself from Sora's threatening grip.
"Fine," muttered the Nobody, stripping his dry clothes to do as Sora wished.
Sora marveled at the barely tanned skin of his Nobody. While the blond-haired teen was still thin, too thin for Sora's liking, there was a noticeable difference between when he had first met Sora to now. No longer just skin, bone, and pure muscle, a thin layer of insulation smoothed the skin over the body, making him look considerably better.
Once he was completely undressed, Roxas stepped into the pool tentatively, gasping as the water came into contact with his still tender wounds. Sora made to help him, but Roxas wouldn't allow him as he lowered himself into the pool quickly. He released the tension in his entire body as the water soothed the muscles. He even breathed a sigh, letting the perfume of the floral scented bath to fill his nostrils.
"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" grinned Sora.
Roxas's only reply was a sleepy smile. As his entire body relaxed, he allowed himself to float on top of the water, his limbs floating in the water beside him while the water lapped at the side of his face, his stomach, and his chest. He didn't notice how Sora stared at him with a blush on his face that was masked by the temperature of the water, as though he was trying to memorize each curve upon his Nobody's body.
The Nobody didn't let himself relax for long though. He took another deep breath before opening his eyes, the sleepiness that had been on his face instantly vanished.
"Alright, Sora," he said, making his way back over to the edge of the pool where the wooden basin sat. "We should get your hair rinsed up."
With his Nobody turned away from him, Sora grinned mischievously before taking a deep breath. He sank himself into the depths of the pool without even a splash to alert the unsuspecting blonde to his intentions, letting his movement through the water rinse off the suds on their own. The suds that remained at the surface were soon broken up by the small waves, dispersing them toward all parts of the pool.
Roxas reached over to grab the wooden basin just as his master disappeared into the water. When he turned, his eyes wandered over the pool with concern and bewilderment. He waded over to where Sora had been and looked about.
"Sora?" he called out, an upset frown upon his face. "Sora!" he cried, panic gradually taking over.
At that exact moment, the brown-haired teen leaped from his place underneath the surface of the murky mineral-salted water, creating a giant splash as he came up.
Roxas let out a yelp of surprise and hurried away, placing his back against the edge of the pool. His unwounded arm searched haphazardly for his clothes that he had set a little ways from the edge of the bathing pool, where the charms for Oathkeeper and Oblivion rested in a pocket. When he finally recognized the face of the "monster" that had emerged, he stopped his search.
"Sora!" he cried with an admonishing tone. The prince grinned toothily at the Nobody, his poorly rinsed hair matted against his forehead and the side of his face. Trails of water mingled with soap suds fell from the hair and down his face, making him look very much a messy fool.
Sora only snickered as Roxas proceeded to clean the silly prince.
Shortly after six, the small entourage of Nibelheims set off on their return journey over land from Costa del Sol. Sora braced himself for another seven days of utter frustration as they made their way towards the canyons. The journey toward Cosmo Canyon would take a little more than two days and a half due to the difficulty in traverse across the desert sands that lay between Costa del Sol and Cosmo Canyon.
However, unlike while he was on the ship, Sora wasn't as irritable as he had been then. Sharing a carriage with Tifa, Sora learned more about the Chasers from the keeper of the lore and exchanged his own information about the Chasers with the one who knew them best.
"You know," laughed Tifa at one time. "Maybe you didn't have to spend that much time in Midgar had you gone to Nibelheim first."
"That would've been if I had known that Nibelheim was the capital of Chaser society," jested Sora.
"That's true." Her eyes looked out the window at the afternoon sun.
"It's getting quite late isn't it?" Sora asked, eying the darkening sky.
"We'll be fine. I can see the red canyons coming up. We should arrive at Cosmo Canyon just shortly after sunset," said Tifa.
The carriage jerked to a gradual stop.
"Unless we're stopping?" questioned Sora.
The sound of horseshoes against the hard dirt road came clamoring up against the carriage. A soft whinny and a snort came from outside of the carriage before Cloud peered into the interior with a frown upon his face.
"What is it?" Tifa asked immediately, concern all over her face upon seeing the frown.
"There's an airship heading towards us; looks like it's coming to pick us up from the signal."
Tifa furrowed her eyebrows with greater concern. "Do you recognize the airship?" she asked, her lips set in a thin line.
Cloud nodded solemnly. "It's Cid's Sierra."
"Cid!?" exclaimed Tifa, unlatching the door to descend from the carriage. Roxas was immediately there to open the door and let down the step ladder, assisting the queen of Nibelheim. Sora followed Tifa and looked into the distance at a small thing in the distant skies that twinkled with the said signal.
"Why is Cid coming to pick us up?" murmured Tifa unhappily.
"Something must be wrong," suggested Cloud softly; the frown on Tifa's face deepened.
"Get the carriage unhitched from the horses and tell everyone to prepare to board the airship," said the queen. Cloud nodded in agreement and turned his horse to gallop around the small caravan.
"What's an airship?" asked Sora with curiosity.
"It's a form of transportation available only to Gaia," answered Tifa as she continued to stare at the small flying object in the distance. When she finally forced herself to stop looking at the airship, she turned with a smile at Sora. "Airships allow us to cross great distances on this continent rapidly. Instead of another four-five days on the road from here to Nibelheim, we would get there in overnight."
Sora's eyes widened considerably upon receiving the news, even Roxas's eyebrows raised slightly in astonishment. "How is that possible?" the prince of Destiny Islands asked breathlessly.
"There's a metal that exists only in the earth of Gaia and is common to all part of this continent called Nethicite. It can't be purified from its raw form in the earth. In fact, its only property only exists when it's in contingent with the rest of the Nethicite that remains in the earth. It can allow for ships to fly due to its interactions with Mythril. I'm sure you know of it." She smiled.
"That's one of Destiny Islands' export," replied Sora. "The Islands and Northern Crater are the two major exporters of Mythril and rumor has it that Disney Kingdom also has a large source of Mythril, which would make them another exporter of Mythril if they ever abolish their isolationist stance."
"You know your economies well," commented Tifa, smiling as Sora blushed lightly at the compliment. "Yes. We incorporate Mythril into our metals to build the airships with; this allows for the airships to fly through the air as long as it is in Gaia."
"The airships' energy is generated by the sun, isn't it?" asked Sora.
"Yes. Since Mythril can generate electricity with the solar energy, the airships are very self-sufficient. It is because of this that we can have many airships."
"Then couldn't we have gone from Costa del Sol to Nibelheim via airship?"
"It's difficult to keep an airship flying near the coast where the concentration of Nethicite is below everywhere else in the continent," answered Cloud, dismounting his horse as he neared them. "Everyone's getting ready."
"Just in time too," replied Tifa as the airship descended towards them.
Sora scanned the exterior of the vehicle with wonder: the glowing blue exterior was trademark of Mythril at work. Yet, the technology that's used to create such a machine was akin to Midgar's technology. Several landing gears extended from the bulk of the ship above the cockpit that was connected to the rest of the airship towards the posterior.
A pair of gleaming propellers sat connected to the back of the body of the airship, slowing down in their rotations as the engines idled.
"I was hopin' that I didn't miss ya before ya went into the canyons," came a gruff voice that reminded Sora oddly of Barret. When he turned his head to look at the man, it wasn't a familiar dark black face that stared back. Instead, a gangly man with graying hair and an unshaven face met his eyes. His style of dress was more of a commoner than that of a nobleman, with a plain linen shirt marked by greasy streaks and a pair of cotton pants with so many patches that Sora couldn't help but stare.
"Cid," acknowledged Cloud with a nod. The name clued Sora in on whom the man he was looking at: Lord Cid Highwind of Rocket Town, a protectorate province of Nibelheim. Though the town was technically in Macalania, Nibelheim acquired the province as to establish a foothold in northern Gaia, acting as a watch post of sorts against the ever ambitious Archadian Empire.
Although Cid was the governor of Rocket Town, he appeared more like a pauper than someone who was to report to Tifa for his province's larger issues and Archadian activities near the border.
"Got yer letter last night," the man said, scratching his unshaven chin absent-mindedly.
"What's going on, Cid?" asked Tifa, her voice full of obvious concern.
"We best be on our way first," replied the older man with a frown. He pulled out a stick of tobacco and quickly lit it, breathing in a drag to calm his nerves. He gestured stoically for the caravan to board the airship and waved Tifa and Cloud to follow him; Sora and Roxas followed them in curiosity.
"Wutai's under attack," muttered Cid as they made their way through the various hallways and catwalks that graced the interior of the ship towards a conference room. He barked a quick order to the first mate of the ship to fly for Nibelheim once everyone was secured.
"Yuffie?" Tifa inquired.
"She was in Macalania when the first attack came three days ago. No news of Emperor Goro," replied the airship lord. "Vincent had to drug her to stop her from following him back to Wutai."
"Honestly!" exclaimed Tifa with annoyance. "Did he have to go do that?" She sat down in an upholstered chair with a huff.
"Have you received any news from Vincent?" asked Cloud.
"Just this morning." Here, the tobacco addicted lord scowled. "The invaders carry the banner of Archadia."
Both Tifa and Cloud frowned at this.
"How could we have missed this?" muttered the spiky-haired general. "We should've been able to see the troop movement."
"It's not just Archadia that's attacking," growled Cid. "Tha' bitch Maleficent's helping them. Vince said that they took Maranda."
"It won't be long before they take the Pagoda then," frowned the general.
"Did Elmyra send soldiers?" asked Tifa, her left hand index finger tapped the wooden table lightly as she pondered.
"Two ships full," replied Cid. "Aerith's sent a galleon of her best as well."
"That's not enough," growled Sora, his hands balled into tight fists. His eyes shone with the fury of a thousand storms and his teeth grinded against each other as he seethed.
"No shit. Why the fuck do ya think I'm here!?" replied Cid, equally angry at the situation.
"Cid!" exclaimed Tifa. "Watch your language."
"Sorry," murmured the lord of Rocket Town. He puffed at his cigarette angrily, creating a cloud of smoke that grew around his head. The airship suddenly came to a lurch as the engines roared to life, muffled by the insulated walls of the conference room.
"Anyways," started Cloud, eying the two ill-tempered males with a frown, "We should find a way to get to Wutai. If we can't save the country, we could at least get the people out."
"Even if we do get to the west coast by today, we won't be able to get to Wutai for another two days on the sea," Tifa pointed out unhappily.
Cid snorted with a slanted grin as he mashed his cigarette into the ashtray that had been anchored onto the table. The smoldering remains jumped up from the glass plate before extinguishing in the cool air.
"Luckily," he sniffed proudly, "this ship's perfectly capable of traversing across the sea."
His grin met four pairs of raised eyebrows. "The cockpit can be retracted into the ship's body. Sierra isn't just an airship; she's a bona fide cruiser o'er the waters as well. With our engines, we'll hit Wutai within six hours from Thalmasa."
Sora's face brightened considerably at the new information. "Then what are we waiting for?" he said, pumping his fists in excitement. "Let's get going!"
With a roguish smirk upon his face, Cid replied, "I thought ya'd never ask."
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts and associated characters, places, items, etc. I wish I owned Sora, Roxas, Riku, Kairi, Naminé, etc. etc. of course. But I don't, so don't sue me.
A/N: A bit on the short side… slightly filler-ish… and somewhat awkward at the beginning… I didn't really enjoy trying to flesh out for this chapter. To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand for the next chapter either, haha. While I do want to get to the chapter after the next, since I've already got a scene written for it, I'm not certain how I want to go about filling in the details between Wutai, Nibelheim, and the climatic twist at the End of the World (I won't tell you what the twist is… XP). Hopefully whatever the result is, it'll be acceptable for me and enjoyed by you all.
Quick references. Ivalice is the world from FF12; here it's a continent. The other four continents are Galbadia from FF8, Gaia from FF7, Wutai from FF7, and Agrabah from well… you know. By the way, Agrabah will be the northernmost continent for obvious ironic reasons, haha. Archadia is the invading enemy country from FF12. The material Nethicite is also from FF12 while Mythril's from FF/KH. Thalmasa and Maranda are both towns from FF6. And of course, James Norrington is from Pirates of the Caribbean.
There was a semi-alternate ending to this chapter where someone says "You're full of hot air" to Cid and Cid proceeding to agree but add the detail that it's the ship that's full of hot air to continue on explaining that the airship has the capabilities of being a hot air balloon so they can traverse across the strait between Gaia and Wutai. But I didn't feel like there was anyone who was capable of uttering such words since they're so ridiculous. And secondly, if there were airships using hot air instead of this magical repelling characteristic between Mythril and Nethicite, then Sora would know more about these vehicles, even though they would most likely use up way too much resources to be functioning over long distances such as across the ocean that span between Gaia and Galbradia.
And just another note, writing Cid was probably the most amusing part of this chapter for me. Cusses are a must! XD